The present invention relates to a device for controlling the receipt of information or material which is transmitted electronically, such as by broadcast or via wire, or reproduced from electromagnetic storage media, such as video or audio tapes and magnetic disks. More particularly the invention is directed to a program material screening device, for example, a telephone device for preventing the receipt of unwanted telephone messages.
The present invention addresses several recent problems arising from the advent of sexually explicit or excessively graphic or violent material being made freely available to minors through various unregulated media, including pre-recorded telephone messages, taped and live "shock" radio, and rented or purchased video tapes.
Heretofore, there have not been any restrictions imposed on the purveyors of such program material, although parents and governmental officials have expressed strong interest in controlling its availability or at least preventing minors from freely receiving it. Because overburdensome government regulation or censorship of the providers of explicit program material is limited by the First Amendment and interferes with the legitimate desires of adults who wish to receive such material, there is a strong need to provide a means for selectively screening the receipt of an unwanted program material signal when the receiver (i.e., radio, telephone, VCR) is operated by a child or other unauthorized person.
In the realm of explicit messages or information transmitted via telephone, several solutions have been proposed to allow a parent or other authority to restrict receipt through their telephone lines of selected types of program material. These include conventional blocking methods, such as a programmable device that the telephone owner would pre-program with all telephone numbers to be restricted or blocked. The problem with such a device is that each and every telephone number accessing unwanted program material would have to be programmed into the device, and frequent reprogramming on the part of the owner would be necessary since the telephone numbers accessing the unwanted material continually change and multiply.
Another solution proposed would involve scrambling the program material at the origin, thereby restricting access to those who are equipped with descramblers. Though functional, such a solution would require expensive scrambling equipment on the part of the message programmers as well as on the part of the telephone owner, who would have to purchase descrambling equipment in order to receive the program material.
Another solution suggested includes the use of personal identification numbers (PINs) which would be obtained by the user for receiving the explicit program material. In practice, only callers with valid PINs would receive exlicit program material, and the assignment of PINs could be appropriately restricted. While this appears to be a viable solution, it would involve tremendous expense on the part of the telephone companies to install the central switching equipment necessary to handle a PIN system. Furthermore, any minors who illicitly discover a valid PIN could circumvent this system.
The present invention is a new and innovative solution to the aforementioned problems. It combines the advantages of requiring minimum effort and expense on the part of the program provider and minimum effort on the part of the potential receiver who wishes to restrict access to the program material, while requiring no additional effort on the part of legitimate customers who wish to freely receive such program material. The device of this invention can be implemented on all types of program material receivers, including but not limited to telephones (including coin operated and private), radios, video cassette recorders, televisions, etc.